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We Went Food-Hunting In The Kansai Region And Here's Our List Of 21 Must-Try Foods

“You go to Tokyo for all the good food, but you go to Osaka for the good, local Japanese food.”

Bad English aside, I could see exactly what my friend meant when I asked him what’s the best food in Tokyo despite finding myself in Osaka. After a week of feasting, I can safely say that the Kansai region is really a foodie heaven. Just in case you were wondering where the Kansai region is in Japan, it’s where Osaka, Kyoto, Arashiyama, Kobe and Nara are.

Armed with the 5 Days JR Kansai WIDE Area Pass that I got through Klook, I set out to explore Kansai with my tastebuds. Having the JR Kansai Pass really made traveling all over Kansai much easier as I didn’t have to worry about spending too much money on all the trains (which can add up, especially if you want to make day trips to further cities like Kobe and Uji). I could also very easily choose to visit another city, like when I decided to go to Wakayama for dinner on a whim.

Here are 21 foods that you have to try when you’re in the area, all complete with the best restaurants, addresses and the nearest train stations so that you can easily plan your trip!

By Michelle Ng

Wakayama

1. The best ramen in Japan at Ide Shoten

Simple, yet satisfying

Surprise, surprise, the best ramen voted by locals for locals is hidden in a little seaside town of Wakayama, just an hour away from central Osaka by train. Way back in 1998 when people watched more television than surf the Internet, TV Champion declared Ide Shoten as the restaurant with the best ramen in the whole of Japan. Till today, many locals still love it, which meant that of course I had to try this famed ramen.

Ichiran might be more well-known amongst foreigners, but hands down, Ide Shoten’s was much more satisfying. The standard bowl of ramen goes for ¥700, where you get chewy noodles in a thick tonkotsu-shoyu broth and two slices of chashu. The hearty broth is much thicker than your normal tonkotsu broth, making for a much more satisfying meal, especially in the heart of winter. Help yourself to the hard-boiled eggs lying on your table for ¥50 each (they’re not free flow like the ones you see here in Singapore).

Queues wise, if you head to Ide Shoten on a weekday, chances are there will be close to no queue. On weekends however, queues of up to an hour can form outside the tiny eatery. If you love ramen, you might want to spend more time in Wakayama, where they even have a Ramen map andprofessional Ramen taxi guide drivers for those who come in search of good ramen.

2. Ginger Ale that was made with fresh ginger from Wakayama

One of best ginger ales I’ve tasted in a while

Wakayama is famous for its natural produce like ginger and strawberries. Since I didn’t have time to search for fresh produce, I grabbed a bottle of ginger ale made with fresh ginger from Wakayama for the ride back. After a rich bowl of ramen, the ginger ale helps to cleanse your palette as you head back for the night with a subtly refreshing spicy kick. Don’t
Price: ¥236Where you can get it: souvenir shops and convenience stores in Wakayama. There’s one right next to the Wakayama JR Station

Osaka

3. Kushikatsu from Kushikatsu Daruma

There are plenty of kushikatsu restaurants around the Shinsekai area, but Kushikatsu Daruma is one of the more famous ones. Kushikatsu is basically fried food on sticks. It’s not the same as tempura – the batter is different. Anything from meat, seafood, vegetables and even fruits can be sliced and deep-fried. Pick individual items off the menu or choose from one of their three combo sets – here’s where traveling with friends is ideal because it means you can try more items between you guys. Grab some shochu or umeshu while waiting for your food to arrive.
The hard part is then knowing how much to dip in the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce, which uses a hatcho-miso base, can be really thick, but it’s served in a communal pot which means you cannot double dip. Dip too little and you’ll be left with a dry stick. Dip too much, and you might get an umami overload.
For those who are ordering individual sticks, here are my favourite picks: Camembert Cheese, Lotus Root, Shrimp, Classic Kushikatsu (beef), Capelin (a small fish), and Quail Eggs.
Price: ¥120 – ¥240 for individual sticks; combos at ¥1,400 for 9 sticks, ¥1,800 for 12 sticks, ¥2,200 for 14 sticks串かつだるま ルクア大阪店 Kushikatsu Daruma Lucua Osaka StoreAddress: Japan, 〒530-0001 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Kita, Umeda, 3−1−3 (大阪市北区梅田3-1-3, 10F)Opening hours: daily 11am – 11pmNearest Station: 1 minute walk from Osaka JR Station/ Umeda StationKushikatsu Daruma is a chain kushikatsu store, with stores in Shinsekai, Tsutenkaku, Namba, Shinsaibashi and Dotonburi.

4. Okonomiyaki from Fukutaro

There’s no way to really make okonomiyaki or yakisoba look appetising; it’s just a bunch of stuff tossed together on a stove after all. But there’s just something about okonomiyaki that makes it a good snack meal to start a night of drinking. Order a pint (or a couple), and wait for your food to arrive. Okonomiyaki usually has meat, and you can’t go wrong with beef. Negiyaki is pretty much the same as okonomiyaki, but with an added crunch that comes from all the spring onions, and yakisoba is fried noodles for those who need their carbs.
Give Fukutaro’s seafood starters a go if you’re feeling a little nibbly (and I also couldn’t pass up another chance because winter is the best time to eat seafood). Their baked oysters (¥780) and baked scallops (¥980) were savoury, and had a smoky, charred taste to them.
Fukutaro’s also the top rated restaurant for okonomiyaki in Namba on Trip Advisor, so be prepared to wait a while. But it’ll be well worth your wait. Oh, and they have English menus with pictures to make ordering easy.Price: ¥860 – ¥1,080, depending on your chosen okonomiyaki toppings, ¥540 for a pint of draft beer
福太郎 | FukutaroAddress:2-3-17 Sennichimae, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0074, Osaka Prefecture (大阪府 大阪市中央区 千日前 2-3-17)Opening hours: weekdays 5:00pm-12:30am; weekends and holidays 12:00pm-midnightNearest Station: 15 minute walk from Namba JR Station, 10 minute walk from Namba Station or Nankai Station, Nippombashi Station

5. Takoyaki from Kukuru

The Takoyaki Museum is heralded as a tourist spot with the supposedly #1 takoyaki store Kukuru taking up up the shop front on the first floor, but I’ll advise you to skip the ‘learning about the history of takoyaki’ part and just feast on the takoyaki. You can choose from two types – the original one where you get steaming hot flour balls with octopus bits, or bacon and cheese flavoured ones. Get the Musuem Set, where you’ll get 8 pieces of takoyaki – 4 original and 4 bacon and cheese balls. As much as I love my regular takoyaki, the bacon and cheese takoyaki were absolutely delicious. The bacon gives the takoyaki an added layer of smokiness, whilst the cheese was just the cherry on the top. There’s always a long queue at the front of the store, but it moves pretty quickly.Price: ¥800 for the Museum Set, which gives you 4 octopus balls and 4 bacon and cheesy ballsDotonbori Konamon Museum Address: 1 Chome-6-12 Dotonbori, Chuo, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0071, JapanOpening hours: Monday – Friday 12pm – 11pm, Saturday 11am – 11pm, Sunday 11am – 10pm Nearest Station: 10 minute walk from Namba JR Station, 5 minute walk from Namba Station or Nankai Station

6. Morinaga Milk Pudding

One of cheapest and best convenience store puddings you’ll come across

If you’re a fan of Japanese dramas, you’ll have seen this pudding being bandied around before. Characters have even gotten into major fights because of this pudding, which meant that I had to try it to see if it was that good.
And it was. The milky pudding is creamy and delicious for a convenience store pudding (do not underestimate convenience store food in Japan!), and the little pot will be finished in an instant. The only gripe I had is that it’s pretty hard to find and is constantly sold out. What I did was look for it at every single convenience store we stopped at and just stock up whenever I saw it.Price: ¥100Where to find it: at any Family Mart, 7-11, Lawson or any other convenience store or supermarket

7. Taikomanju from Gozasourou

Small but comforting

Those round pancake sweets are a common Japanese street food, and are very popular at Japanese festivals. Gozasourou is located right next to the Osaka JR Station where I was staying, so I decided to pick one up as breakfast. The shop only sells two flavours – red bean and white bean. The red bean taikomanju is filled with a generous amount of azuki bean paste and isn’t too sweet, whilst the white bean filling is much more mild in flavour. You’ll find that their red bean filling here is much more savoury and less sweet compared to the ones you get in Singapore.Price: ¥85 for one piece御座候 • ゴザソウロウ | GozasourouAddress: 1-13-13 Umeda Kita-ku Osaka Osaka (北区梅田1-13-13 Osaka, 大阪府 〒530-0001)Opening hours: 10am – 8pm dailyNearest Station: Osaka JR Station/ Hanshin Umeda Station

7. Matcha Latte from The Mark Coffee Supply

They also sell Supreme socks at the counter, if you need affirmation of how dope this cafe is

It’s 18367437463878 times harder to find a good matcha latte as compared to a good caffe latte, and The Mark Coffee Supply was a surprising find. Hidden in one of the streets in Shinsekai, the hipster-looking cafe caught my attention as I was wandering about. The milky matcha latte comes steaming hot, piled with a huge mound of delicious whipped cream (the dairy products in Japan are no joke). My problem with most matcha lattes is that the latte is usually very watery and diluted probably due to the nature of matcha, but The Mark managed to surprise me. It’s slightly overpriced for a matcha latte, but the shop’s Instagrammable hipster interior more than made up for it. Neon signs, hot pink cups and Supreme decor? This would be my joint if I lived in the area. For hot summer days, the cafe also has beer sours, iced coffees and lattes.
Price: ¥600ザ マーク コーヒー サプライ | The Mark Coffee SupplyAddress: 2 Chome-3-4 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 556-0002, Japan (大阪府大阪市浪速区恵美須東2丁目3−4)Opening hours: daily 11am – 9pmNearest Station: 5 minute walk from Tennoji JR Station

If you caught a poisonous fish, your first instinct should be to release it back into the ocean. Not the Japanese; they just remove the poisonous parts of the fish and turn it into a delicacy.
Pufferfish, or fugu in Japanese, is more of a novelty rather than a typical tourist experience. Just think that you’re defying death with every bite! I got the basic meal set, which allowed me to try the fugu prepared in three different ways – sliced sashimi, parboiled fish skin, and in hot pot style.
Start off with the sashimi slices; the pufferfish is much chewier and milder in taste compared to other sashimi fish. Eat it straight or dip it in some ponzu sauce. Move on to the parboiled fish skin, which is slightly tougher and is served in a mix of ponzu sauce, grated radish and green onions. Finally you’ll be served a hot pot of vegetables and various parts of the fish. The best part is the cheek, which contains extra collagen for youthful skin.
Here’s another reason to dine at Guenpin Fugu – they only use the highest grade of pufferfish, the Tiger Pufferfish, which contains more collagen than your typical
Price: Set meals from $52.50 when booked through Klook, lunch and dinner timings available玄品 | Guenpin Fugu at Houzenji NosekiAddress: 1-1-13, Nanba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, OsakaOpening hours: Daily – Lunch: 12pm-3pm (last order: 2:30pm), Dinner: 4pm- 12am (last order: 11pm)Nearest Station: 10 minute walk fromJR Namba Station, 2 minute walk from Namba Station on Midosuji LineGuenpin Fugu also has branches at Suoumachibetsugen, Umedahigashidoori Noseki and Osakakuromon Noseki, and you can book your meals at any branch through Klook.

9. Kamameshi from Sakaguchi

Direct translation: iron pot rice

Kamameshi is pretty much the Japanese version of the claypot rice. The rice is first cooked, and ingredients added to the top, which means that your rice will get that nicely, slightly charred taste. The bowls are served in a single portion, but you can also share it as a communal dish. The Specialty Of The house kamameshi bowl comes with salmon and a generous portion of salmon roe and seaweed. Sakaguchi also offers a whole range of iyazaka and other side dishes, with my favourite being the camembert cheese which comes grilled with a hint of black pepper.
Price: ¥1,620 for the Specialty Of The House kamameshi bowl that comes with salmon and salmon roe, other kamameshi bowls from ¥950 – ¥1,166炭焼と釜飯さかぐち | Grilled Chicken & Seafood SakaguchiAddress: 〒530-0057 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Sonezaki, 2 Chome−14 (〒530-0057 大阪府大阪市北区曾根崎2丁目14−7, Japan)Opening hours: Daily 6pm – 5amNearest Station: 7 minute walk fromOsaka JR Station/ Umeda Station

Kobe

10. Akashiyaki from Takoyaki Tachibana

Deliciously eggy balls

Akashiyaki is like the more soft-spoken sister of takoyaki, but still as delicious. The eggy balls also contain bite-sized octopus, but aren’t eaten with bonito flakes and thick sauce. Akashiyaki is first dipped into dashi before eating, and it has a milder, more comforting taste to it. The balls are usually sold in 10s on a wooden tray, and are sometimes also called tamagoyaki.

11. Kobe Beef from Steakland

Kobe beef

Kobe beef is renowned for being one of the best beefs in the world, and is even considered a delicacy. It’s not cheap to get it, and it’s quite hard to dine at the better restaurants. Steakland is very popular with tourists, mainly because of their huge restaurant which spans several floors. They also offer other grades of steak, but their Kobe beef lunch set is the best value. You get a decent portion of meat, which is seasoned and cooked right in front of you to your preference. Ask for more garlic chips and bean sprouts, which are served as sides. The garlic chips are great to add subtle flavour, and also to munch on, and the bean sprouts are crunchy and juicy. You’ll also be served a starter, soup and rice, and a coffee or tea to wash down your meal. For $40, this was a pretty good deal!

12. Milk Ice Cream from Kobe Rokko Farm

Two flavours in one!

The dessert shop is on a steep hill, but the ice cream will be a treat enough. Hidden in Kitano-cho, which is full of European-style houses left over from the colonisation period, the dessert shop sells ice cream in various flavours. You can pick from milk, matcha, chocolate, and pistachio. The creamy milk ice cream was delicious, and the pistachio flavour has a slightly nuttier edge to it.
Kobe Rokko Farm is a 13 minute walk from the JR Sannomiya station, but you’ll have to add some time on it as it’s a steep uphill climb.
Price: ¥500 for a mixed pistachio and milk ice cream, other flavours range from ¥200 – ¥600Kobe Rokko FarmAddress: 3 Chome-11-4 Kitanocho, Chuo, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture 650-0002, JapanOpening hours: daily 9am – 6pmNearest Station: 20 minute walk from Sannomiya JR Station

13. Beef Croquette from Moriya

Totally not surprising that a city that’s famous for its beef will be famous for its beef croquettes too. Moriya is actually a butcher, but sells fried goodies out of a small window on the side of their shop. The small croquette is filled with a heartwarming mixture of beef, onion and potato, and is a good snack to have on the go. It’s also pretty easy to find too because there’s almost always a queue. Japan street food at it’s best!
Price: ¥90 yen for a beef croquette. Other fried goodies from ¥90 – ¥200森谷商店 | Moriya ShotenAddress: Kobe, 1-7-2, Motomachi-tori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo, 650-0023, JapanOpening hours: daily 9am to 7pm, but the beef croquettes are only available from 10.am to 6.30pmNearest Station: 10 minute walk from Sannomiya JR Station

Uji

14. Matcha Ice Cream from Masuda Cha Ho

MORE MATCHA PLEASE

While you’re visiting Kyoto, make time to visit Uji, a matcha lover’s paradise. Masuda Cha Ho has made a name for itself as one of the best shops to sell matcha ice cream, and they deserve it. Their matcha ice cream nicely balances the bitterness of matcha will the sweetness of the milky cream, and there’s none of that gritty-ness even though they sprinkle it with fine matcha powder. Single digit weather or not, it’s always a good time for Masuda’s matcha ice cream.
Price: ¥300 for a delicious, creamy cone of matcha goodness増田茶舗 | Masuda Cha HoAddress: 21-3 Uji Renge, Uji 611-0021, Kyoto Prefecture (宇治蓮華21-3 Uji, 京都府 〒611-0021)Opening hours: daily 8.30am – 6pmNearest Station: 15 minute walk fromUji JR Station

15. Warabimochi (mochi) from Mitsuboshien Kanbayashi Sannyu

One of the oldest tea shops in Uji, Mitsuboshien Kanbayashi Sannyu Honten has hundreds of years of history serving tea to the Japanese Emperor and the Shogunate back in the day. You can buy tea, feast on matcha snacks, and even grind your own tea in the shop.

After picking out all your souvenirs, head to the tea shop at the back for some matcha snacks. The warabimochi matcha set is a good deal, where you’ll get four melt-in-your-mouth pieces of mochi coated in matcha, a cup of matcha, and a cup of tea. Like beef, there are different grades of matcha. Get the higher grade, as it’ll have more umami.

16. Matcha gyozas from Byodoin Omotesando

Anything with matcha is good

I wasn’t keen on waiting 90 minutes for a table at Nakamura Tōkichi Honten, so I decided to go for the matcha gyozas from the shop round the corner. The green gyozas arrived steaming hot, together with a bowl of matcha salt. There is only a gradual hint of umami from the matcha salt, and made a really nice snack for the afternoon. There’s also takoyaki with matcha sauce, if you feel like trying out something different from your normal matcha desserts.

Price: ¥390 for 6 pieces

Where to get it: Round the corner next to Nakamura Tōkichi Honten along Byodoin Omotesando (the Uji matcha street)Nearest Station: 10 minute walk fromUji JR Station

Kyoto

Treat yourself to a traditional Kyoto-style cooking! Mukadeya sits inside a traditional townhouse, and your dining table overlooks a mini garden that really makes you feel like you’re in an old Japanese movie. Each course will come once you’re done with your previous dish, and you won’t know what’s on the menu until it arrives because obanzai uses seasonal ingredients. That being said, you’ll enjoy sashimi, pickled vegetables and soup, before finishing up your meal with some glutinous rice and a sweet dessert.

Don’t feel pressured to rush through your meal, and give yourself at least an hour and a half to enjoy your meal. I booked my meal through Klook, which was really convenient. Since it was paid for beforehand, I could just turn up and enjoy my meal without worrying about anything as the restaurant filled up during lunchtime.

Junsei specialises in kaiseki too, but is more well-known for their yudofu (boiled tofu). Tofu here can be eaten in various ways, but I recommend getting the Yuba Kaiseki Course Meal as it lets you try yuba. Yuba is skim tofu skin, and is made by curdling soy milk. Using a stick, scoop the curdled layer off the top and dip it into the ponzu sauce to add more flavour. You’ll also get to try a cup of delicious soy milk together with your appetiser, as well as yudoufu (hot tofu) topped with miso paste and a tofu ball (which is pretty much a ball of yuba layered into a ball).
If you are planning on going to for dinner, head to Junsei slightly earlier so that you can slowly explore their gardens which make really nice backdrops for photos, especially during autumn and spring. Junsei is also just down the street from one of Japan’s most zen temples, the Nanzen-ji.
Price: $76.90 for Yuba Kaiseki Course Lunch/ Dinner for one person through Klook南禅寺 順正 | Nanzenji JunseiAddress: 60 Nanzenjikusagawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto (Japan, 〒606-8437 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Sakyo Ward, 南禅寺草川町６０)Opening hours: daily 11am – 9.30pm, lunch slots at 11.30am, dinner slots at 7pmNearest Station: 5 minutes walk from Keage Station (Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line)

19. Soy Milk Donut from Konnayamonja

Always served fresh!

Everyone’s who has been to Nishiki Market always raves about these donuts and you’ll understand why the moment you pop a donut into your mouth. The pastries are deep-fried, but aren’t oily at all. Crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside with a slightly sweet aftertaste, I found myself uncontrollably reaching for more. Initially worrying about getting 10 pieces at one go because I didn’t want to spoil my appetite, I could have easily eaten 20 of them in one go. They’re that good. Besides, the donuts are bite-sized, and 10 pieces isn’t a lot.
My advice to eat it all while its fresh from the fryer. If you leave it for later, the donut hardens slightly, and it doesn’t taste as good when it’s cold.
Price: ¥300 for 10 piecesこんなもんじゃ| Konnayamonja Address: Nishiki Market – Japan, 〒604-8125 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 錦小路堺町通角中魚屋町494Opening hours: daily 10am – 6pmNearest Station: 5 minutes walk from the Shijo Station, Karasuma Station and Kawaramachi Station

20. Snoopy Misaka – Snoopy Cha-Ya (Nishiki Market)

Snap a pic with the giant Snoopy at the entrance!

The shop is divided into two sections, with a snack bar out front that sells adorable Snoopy-themed snacks and drinks and a cafe upstairs that serves more filling food like meals and 3D latte art featuring the rest of the Peanuts family. The food here can be a little pricey, but it’s still pretty irresistible for Snoopy fans like me. I ended up getting a red bean pancake because you can’t go wrong with red bean in Japan. The savoury red bean filling is not too sweet, and comes with a Snoopy pressed onto the top. They also sell mochi shaped like Snoopy that you can bring home for your friends and family.

Snoopy mochi! Sold individually, and in souvenir boxes.

Price: ¥320 for a Snoopy Misaka; other small snacks and drinks from ¥250 – ¥400; cafe set meals from ¥950; cafe desserts and drinks from ¥800

Minoh

21. Momiji Tempura

Leaves are delicious

When my friend told me that Japanese people eat anything, he wasn’t kidding. You can eat the every single part of the chicken from the heart to the liver, whale, and pufferfish, so why not leaves too? Minoo is famous for their maple trees, especially during autumn when the beautiful leaves line the trail to the breathtaking waterfall.
Even though the snack is called tempura, it feels like you’re eating batter. The leaves have a subtler, salty pickled edge to them, and is surprisingly addictive. Just in case you were wondering, the maple leaves that you’re eating didn’t fall off the tree; the shops pickle yellow maple leaves so that you can enjoy the snack all year round.
Price: from ¥200 for a small bagWhere to get: any souvenir shop selling them, freshly made, along Takido street on the way to Minoo Waterfall.Nearest Station: 5 minute walk from Minoh Station

Thanks to Klook for providing us with the 5 Day JR Kansai WIDE Rail Pass so that we can easily explore Kansai.

Easily explore the Kansai region with JR Kansai Wide Rail Pass, which links cities like Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Kobe and Arashiyama. The ICOCA card is useful as it can be used on all the other train lines, including the JR lines, and buses for traveling within a city or town. For easy navigation, get a 4G data card so that you’ll always be able to find your way around! If you book the Rail Pass, ICOCA card and data cards through Klook, you can conveniently pick them up at the airport once you land and use them immediately.

Because you’ve read all the way to the end, here’s an exclusive discount code* just for you! Simply quote ‘NYLON5’ for $5 off your first purchase!*Valid till 31 Dec 2018.

All images shot on the FujifilmX-T2, a camera that lives up to its freeze-proof claims – tried and tested by us! It was negative degrees in Japan when we visited and the Fujifilm X-T2 worked perfectly fine, although we couldn’t say the same for our phones.